Cusp of the New: La Fenice at Utrecht

Program: #04-46   Air Date: Nov 08, 2004

One of the themes was dedicated to times of musical turmoil, and many enembles looked at the cusp of the Baroque era, includeing the ensemble La Fenice conducted by Jean Tubery, who described the program:

"De ‘Concerti delle Dame’ originated in Ferrara at the end of the 16th century and spread quickly throughout Italy, bringing together the most renowned female singers of the period. The inheritors of the madrigal style, Monteverdi included, gave themselves entirely over to the suave harmonies of these duos for two voices and basso continuo, using them for music designated for both sacred and secular ends. A faithful mirror of vocal performance practice, instrumental music hurried to follow this new path. A considerable repertory of music for two soprano instruments was thus created, for which the cornetto was frequently specified, this being the instrument praised as the most apt of all in the imitation of the human voice. The other favored instrument was the violin. It was during the 16th century that instrumentalists began to create a performance practice that grew steadily more complex. The arrival of new stylistic principles and the new recitar cantando in particular urged their ambitions even higher. This art of ornamentation of song was for them a sort of new artistic life. It is clear that instrumentalists benefited from the singers’ examples, having played colla parte with them all the time, and that they had learnt to ‘talk’ with their instruments. Even though the instrumentalists lacked text, they themselves could now declaim, sing and carry out a dialogue. The music on this programme is devoted to instrumentalists and composers who were part of Monteverdi’s circle at St. Mark’s in Venice. The grand master himselves hardly composed any purely instrumental pieces, apart from the Sonata sopra Sancta Maria in the Vespers and some ritornelli and sinfonias in his stage music, yet his players were probably perfectly capable themselves of creating the appropriate pieces for the services. Among these instrumental geniuses is Dario Castello, who wrote the first piece of this concert."

The program is supported in part by Radio Nederland and the
Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Dialoghi Venetiani

1. Dario Castello active first half 17th century
Sonata terza a due soprano
(from: Sonate concertate, Venice, 1629)

2. Tarquinio Merula 1594-1665
Canzon sopra Ruggiero, a due canti e basso (from: Canzoni overo sonate, per chiesa e camera, Venice, 1637)

3. Andrea Gabrieli 1532?-1585
Ancor che col partire di Cipriano De Rore, intavolato per
clavicembalo (from a manuscript from ca.1590)

4. Francesco Cavalli 1601-1676
Passacalio a tre (from: Musiche sacre, Venice, 1656)

5. Giovanni Antonio Bertoli 1598-na 1645
Sonata per il fagotto, sopra passacagli, Venice, 1629

6. Biaggio Marini 1587-1663
Sonata terza per cornetti o violini
(from: Curiose e moderni inventioni, Venice, 1629)

7. Marco Uccellini 1603-1680
Canzon sopra la Bergamasca, a due canti
(from: Libro quarto delle sonate, Venice, 1645)

8. Francesco Rognoni ?-ca.1626
Ancor che col partire di Cipriano De Rore, diminuito per il violino (from: Selva de varii passaggi, Milan, 1620)

9. Giovanni Picchi active 1600-1625
Passamezzo per il clavicembalo
(from a manuscript from ca.1620)

10. Giovanni Battista Bovicelli active 1592-4
Ancor che col partir, passeggiato per voce sola
(from: Regole e passaggi, Venice, 1594)

11. Alessandro Piccinini 1566-1638
Toccata per arciliuto
(from: Intavolature di liuto, Bologna, 1623)

12. Maurizio Cazzati 1620-1677
Ciaccone per diesis & per bemolle
(from: Opera XVIIIa, Bologna, 1660)

Composer Info

Dario Castello, Biaggio Marini 1587-1663, Marco Uccellini 1603-1680, Francesco Rognoni ?-ca.1626, Giovanni Picchi active 1600-1625, Giovanni Battista Bovicelli active 1592-4, Alessandro Piccinini 1566-1638, Maurizio Cazzati 1620-1677, Giovanni Antonio Bertoli 1598-na 1645, Francesco Cavalli 1601-1676, Andrea Gabrieli 1532-1585, Tarquinio Merula 1594-1665,